


Dear Red

by TeaLovingTooru



Series: Love Letters To The Unexpected [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Art Student Keith (Voltron), Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Lance Works At The University's Radio Station, M/M, Musical Theater Student Lance (Voltron)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-22
Updated: 2018-06-22
Packaged: 2019-05-26 20:04:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15008387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TeaLovingTooru/pseuds/TeaLovingTooru
Summary: After an odd meeting, Lance develops feelings for a strange, mullet-haired, paint covered boy. He can't help but dedicate songs to him on their schools' radio station. After all... any other love story would be boring.





	1. Lance's Tunes at Ten!

**Author's Note:**

> For Her. 
> 
>  
> 
> Tú eres mi corazón, mi amor infinito.
> 
>  
> 
> Bwehhhh.

For some, love may be difficult to explain. It may be familial, platonic... or horribly romantic. For Lance Rodríguez, he knew every type, causing him to believe that putting such emotion into words would be something simple, like writing his own name or speaking Spanish, even... but he only knew that romantic love from the sights he'd seen from his parents or from his siblings and their spouses... so what exactly would he say? 

 

_"It's my parents, dancing to music in the kitchen after dinner. It's my oldest brother and his wife sharing looks of adoration when realizing that the little girl they'd created together was as perfect as they'd ever wanted. it was his sister and her fiance, planning their wedding together at three in the morning, exhausted but still laughing over something stupid like flower puns..."_

 

He thought all of that was beautiful. He really did... but what about him? He'd never felt those emotions before. He'd never met someone that he wanted to slip his hands around while they washed dishes. He'd never found somebody he wanted to take ridiculously long car rides with, even though being in the car for a long time makes him crabby, because he is too tall and energetic to sit curled up like that for any longer than an hour and a half. He'd never found somebody he loved.

 

Sure, he knew he was young, which meant he had so much time, according to the others... but for him... he wanted to find that love and fast. In Lance Rodríguez's mind, finding that love at a younger age just gave him more time to spend with them. He was twenty years old, twenty-one approaching quicker than he had ever imagined it might. He didn't remember where, but he had read somewhere that the average person had met their soulmate by twenty-one. This was a goal age for Lance. He wanted to say he'd found them, before July. He wanted to fall in love, he wanted to be filled with the romance and the love that he'd witnessed and dreamed of.

 

Now... Lance knew that he was a romantic. He thinks it'd be impossible for him to be anything else, his very upbringing engraining the thought that love always prevailed. He remembered the days when his mother would get sick, a simple flu taking her out for the count. He remembered finding her in the kitchen, attempting to cook for them before their father would force her upstairs and  _attempt_ to take the reigns for the day, making sure to check on her every half an hour, running her tea and small snacks to help her get better and back on her feet. He remembered the time his brother has introduced his wife to their family, back when she was just a girlfriend. He remembered his brother saying that very night that he would marry her. Three years later and that statement was proved true. He remembered accidentally walking in on his sister and her future fiance in the middle of a very heated kissing match. He remembers the light in her eyes as she walked ten year old him back to his room, explaining that people who were in love kissed like that. 

 

But what he remembers most...? He remembers his younger sister, coming home with a girl at holiday last year. It had been Christmas and he knows she was nervous because... it was all she would talk to him about for months on end. She was nineteen, horribly shy and easily embarrassed. However, the second she walked in, hand entwined with her girlfriend's own...? She seemed like a whole other person. She had a smile on her face, every second. She was talking... talking more than Lance had probably ever heard from her in all of those nineteen years, making Lance realize one crucial thing about romance: with the love of another, ones true self can flourish and bloom. 

 

He thought that was beautiful.

 

His sister's own bravery had led him to find some of his own, pushing his nerves out of the way and allowing himself time to explore who he really was. He was Lance Rodríguez, third out of five children to be born to Mateo and Valentina Rodríguez. He was twenty years old, born July 28th, 1997. He was a Leo, a fire sign. He was bold and warm-hearted. Confidence, ambition and intelligence were his best friends. He got along well with his siblings, though less so with the older two, Marco and Veronica. Luis and Camila though... they were his partners in crime. He was a lover of music and poetry, his ability to recite Shakespeare while literally asleep could impress even the most upright. He was a musical theatre student at Altea University, a previous graduate of Garrison County High, valedictorian. 

 

And the most exciting discovery... he was bisexual. Now, one may question why this was the most exciting to him. The answer is simple. While something like sexuality is not chosen by those it is thrust onto, rather than realized, Lance found himself feeling relieved at the thought of being attracted to both guys and girls alike. They both had their own special flare and traits, body parts adding a bit of an extra mystery too, if he were being utterly honest and crass. This meant that he had a  _ton_ of options. So, yes, after the initial panic... Lance realized that this was a blessing. His 'soulmate' could be just about anyone on the planet and that was more calming to think of than: "You may also probably die alone." But now he had an even larger percentage of people he could try and romance. 

 

Ok, so maybe that's just what he told himself to mask the panic. What can he say, he lived in a conservative household in a conservative neighbourhood, where he went to a conservative church service. To him, it was always a battle of 'should I be honest and tell this person I am ok with either' or 'will they be totally disgusted and I'll have wished I kept my mouth shut?' Those were fun times. Meeting new people always was. 

 

He remembers knowing back when he was in high school that he was different, but he was too nervous to tell anybody, fearful of what they may think. However, when he had escaped that little conservative town in that conservative place, he felt like he could breathe again for the first time in years. He could look back into his memories, thinking about how he had utterly stumbled through introductions with every friend he had in this place, some memories less cringe-worthy than the others. 

 

He remembers when he met his roommate, Hunk ʻŌpūnui, he'd thought the man was so terrifying looking that he might kill him in his sleep. Fast forward twenty seconds and he is showing Lance his photo board, followed by a remark of: "Someday, you'll be up there too, buddy. I can tell." How later that very same night, Hunk asked if he had 'someone special' back home. He told him no, but he was looking for that perfect partner. Hunk had grinned widely, patting him on the shoulder before answering the question for himself. He'd told Lance all about this beautiful girl he knew from his home state, dark hair and caramel skin the thing of dreams. He told Lance that she was going to be coming to their university next fall. Her name was Shay. Lance always liked the thought of them together. His love only enhanced when he had actually met her. 

 

When he met Matt and Katie Holt... well. That was a near disaster. Matt had introduced himself quite loudly as a junior at the college, saying he'd be around for a few years though because he was going to be attending in the grad program when he graduated with his bachelors. Katie had been quick to jump in right after, announcing herself to be a robotics and tech major, first year. He'd met them, ironically, at a party to celebrate Hunk's achievement in his biochem major, doing something cool that had been sent to a scientist at a really important company. Soon after the introductions were finished, Matt's boyfriend showed up, sliding his arms around Matt's waist and kissing his cheek in a grossly domestic way. It reminded him of his parents. He'd stared. Katie had gotten anxious and asked him if he was a homophobe or something, with his mouth gaped like that. He had quickly fixed it, saying something about his parents and his very distinct taste for any person, male or female, so no, he was no a homophobe. She had quickly apologized, saying Matt had gotten shit for it when the couple were in high school. By association, that is how he met Takashi Shirogane. 

 

And of course... he could never forget Allura, his superior at his beloved radio station and future close confidant. She had been a very sweet girl, immediately making Lance's heart patter at the thought of her pretty face. This emotion was short-lived, however, when he found out that the girl had a fiance. He was a lot of things, but he was not one to mess with happily engaged women... or engaged women at all! He remembers after her man had come into the booth one day, she had asked if he was interested in any specific genre of music, followed by a ton of questions that were used to get to know him better. At one point though, she had laughed kindly: "I think that's all I need to ask you... I would ask about your preference in people, but... I think I know. Your eyes wander a lot, Lance." He wondered if it was an English thing, saying things so bluntly. After that though, she has tried on many separate occasions to hook him up with a few of her friends, who were all great, just weren't ever for him. She was his biggest fan, a fellow romantic. 

 

So... that's how he met all of his friends. None of them had been anything less than kind to him, showing him support and love no matter what stupid mistakes he would make and no matter where. They would always be there to catch him. Of course, he'd had some bad experiences, some people still bigoted and phobic, even though at this point, people should know that something like that wasn't a choice. It hurt when those things happened, but he tried to remember his somewhat extensive support group, his friends, his sister... it was nice. He'd never felt so... not lonely in his life. 

 

Now though, in current day life... Lance was feeling something far beyond disappointment. He felt fatigued, like if he closed even for a second, he wouldn't get up for days. So why did he feel like this...? Probably the fact that he had a horrible hangover, cursing the fact that he hadn't listened to Shiro when he told him to slow down. It had been yet another party last night, tequila shots and beers lining ever flat surface in that damn place. So needless to say, he had a killer headache and felt like he may start dry heaving any second, but, alas, he had to go and work his night shift at the radio station. He didn't know exactly why he was feeling so nostalgic, like remembering every encounter he had had and everything about love he knew was coming up. Unless...

 

"Shittt! I forgot to write my fucking paper for theatre!" 

 

Ahh. The blessed paper. Last week, Lance's theatrics professor, Coran, had assigned a paper, asking each peer to explain what the three types of love mentioned before meant to them. But. That's why Lance went off on that long tangent.  _Personally... romantic love didn't mean anything to him yet, because he hasn't experienced it._ And while there was nothing written anywhere that what it meant to him couldn't be inspired by what he saw. 

 

So with a sigh, our dear Lance pulled out his phone, opening his messages with Hunk, typing and sending a plead to bring his laptop by the studio so he could finish it between the lulls of every songs playtime. But of course, because Lance's life could not get any worse at that moment, the universe had to curse him into realizing: "Oh, it can get so much work." He realized this, because while he was slipping his phone into his back pocket, he ran directly into someone in the quad. 

 

At this point in time, it was actually really strange for someone to be on the lawn, but... there they were. And of course, as if to laugh at him, it had to be an art student who was holding a large pan of red paint. it was at this moment Lance knew... he fucked up. In the moments of silence that passed between the two, Lance realized three critical facts: this guy was working on the Spring Homecoming banners for the basketball games, which had now been ruined, he was wearing a really nice band shirt and the paint had gotten all over said shirt and in his hair, which had clearly been tied up to prevent that and... and this boy looked so close to either killing him or crying. Or both. 

 

Instead though... the boy just huffed out a laugh of annoyance, saying it was just his luck and ripped his shirt off, throwing it off to the side and working out a plan to fix the now mostly janky banner. It was a full thirty-six seconds later that he realized that Lance was still standing there, staring at him. He had laughed awkwardly, facing Lance with what was probably a joke. 

 

"See something you like...?" 

 

And Lance was running after that, feet carrying him until he fell into his chair in the booth, taking over early for Allura and just finishing her set before beginning his own, cheeks tinted a rosy pink. With a raspy breath, Lance leaned into the mic, giving his typical greeting before beginning his daily story.

 

"Hey, hey! It's the one, the only Lance Rodríguez tunning in for yet another daily segment of Lance's Tunes at Ten! And as per usual, I will be kicking us off with a story from my day, something that I think may have changed my life for any significant measure! So for today... I'd like to say: Please, guys... don't text and walk at the same time. You will end up doing what I did... so I guess, for now, I will just say... 'Dear Red'..."


	2. Culpa al Corazón

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FGHJHVGBHNVGHGF. I AM BACK.
> 
> I'm sorry to anyone who had *genuinely* been waiting for a new chapter? Life kinda... snatched me for a bit. Y'know. The usual emotional health problems and actual... physical health. But I should be back for good now!! So please enjoy!!

In the days since Lance had started adding to his shift with the new segment, he'd decided to call 'Dear Red', ratings had boosted a whole 25% during his hours, even though that was when most students would be napping from studying or out with friends at a party. However, it looked like people adored his sort of 'love letters' vibe with the whole situation and he couldn't say that  _wasn't_ what it was. 

 

Aside from the guy he'd run into having a really cute figure, he had those eyes... the kind of eyes people write about. They kind they would describe as 'an endless pool of depth', but they were... they really were. They were tinted a weirdly purple shade, eyelashes long and thick as he stood there, neck covered in perspiration from hours in the beating sun. In all senses of the word... the man was breathtaking.  _And his voice!_ Lance had spent days trying to figure out what that sweet voice had reminded him of. It was a bit raspy, though equally soft and light, an odd amount of amusement seeping through, despite what had happened. 

 

Since then, Lance had played the mystery man a new special song nightly, accompanied by a few words that one would typically use with a long lost lover... while he knew it was dumb, he figured that maybe this guy did already listen to his shift or that if he didn't, a friend of his did and they would tell him to listen because "Wow, this stupid guy is so desperate for love that he is trying to start a Hallmark romance with some guy he doesn't even know the name of!" Or something like that. He didn't know exactly what everyone thought about it, but a few calls in had given him a small idea. 

 

Some good. 

 

_"This is so cute! I am rooting for you to find him! #LetLanceFindRed2k18!"_

 

Some bad.

 

 _"Are you seriously that desperate for love and attention, dude? Did that stupid shit even happen?"_  

 

Some neutral.

 

_"I mean... it'd be cool if you found him, I guess, but... what if he doesn't even like guys?"_

 

For the first time in his life, Lance was completely under the hands of fate, taking in every single persons' opinion on his life, sexuality and attempt to find love with someone he had probably ruined the day of. He'd tried his best to not get discouraged, keep his head high and continue every day, quoting a new verse of poetry before every song as well. In Spanish though... that was the thing about him. He played all of his songs in Spanish, because that way, he didn't have to worry about every single person knowing his mood of the day, especially with the hate he was getting, he didn't really want to spout some romantic line just to be ridiculed over the phone for his choice because some asshole thought it was gross.  

 

"Hey, hey! Today is going to be a bit different because... well. I run this show and I am feeling a bit low, if I am being honest, which means I will not be answering any calls today! " He laughed awkwardly, wondering if anybody was genuinely kind of saddened by that. "Anyways! I am Lance and you are listening to Lance's Tunes at Ten! Today's poetic quote is 'el dia que me quieras tendrá mas luz que junio'..." 

 

Looking at the board and laptop in front of him, Lance sighed quietly, almost wishing he had called out for the day. After playing the first song of his shift, the great 'Culpa al Corazón', he felt a little better, but the meaning of the title was nagging at his heart. 

 

_Blame the heart._

 

Maybe he should take responsibility, rather than blame his heart...

 

"So, uh, this is normally when I take calls, but instead, I think I will explain why exactly it is that I am putting so much effort into this. I am very aware of the fact that this guy may actually hate me, because I fucked up his banner and shirt then proceeded to make a daily segment of said incident, popularizing the idea of him to my listeners. I also know that there is a possibility he is not into dudes, but. They way I see it is... there is no point in not trying at this time in my life. I am twenty years old, you know... and if I'm being honest, I feel really alone, because even though I have amazing friends and family... I can see the romances and love that they have and well, it's frustrating. I often feel like I am accomplishing nothing in lieu of my personal endeavours. So yeah, I am going to go ahead and try. Who knows, just as much as nothing could come from this, something could..." He frowned into the mic, popping a chip into his mouth and leaning back so he didn't chew right into it. "And... I'm tired of the impending doom I have to go through every time I meet someone new, just because I like more than one gender. It's stupid, so if anybody is going to call in or find me around campus just to be an ass, go ahead and don't." 

 

It was very rare for Lance to get so personal, but every once and a while, the words would become too much. He'd heard a lot, from a lot of people he'd never met. He'd been told he was stupid and pathetic, that he was disgusting for 'traipsing his sexuality all over the place'. He had tried his best to ignore them, but when they kept getting called in, sent to the message boards... it was hard to pretend that they didn't exist. He felt like his soul was being tarnished by hate, skin scolded by the words of other's hitting him in burning quickness. He didn't think that there would be that many people at his school who would be so homophobic... nor did he think anybody would display it like this, when the school had an anti-harassment policy. 

 

"Anyways... let's back to the music, yeah?" 

 

It was six hours later when Lance had stepped out of the studio, locking up and blinking tiredly at the purple-ish light on a Spring day at 4:30. He was so damn tired, weight bringing his eyelids down a bit more by the second. He couldn't explain why he felt so tired, because he was typically more awake when leaving than he was when going in.  That was a testament to how emotionally bothered he was. He had felt nothing other than utter annoyance, but by now, it was masked by a heavy sense of relief. He felt freer than he had when he'd left home for college. This was three years in the making, a relief spreading over him at the realization that it truly didn't matter what people thought and if anyone said something to him, he'd simply brush it off as best as possible. 

 

* * *

 

 Of course, people said things. Lance was well known around the school, regardless of how geeky it was considered to work at their campus radio station. Everybody seemed to like him, he was great at making friends with everyone. So that was why his current situation was so puzzling to him and some others.

 

 _"If Lance is so popular, why can't he find his mystery guy?", "Shouldn't anybody have an idea of who it is? I mean... he has a ton of friends, how is it possible that none of them knows that guy?",_ and his favourite  _"If I were that guy, I'd come to Lance myself! He's so cute!"_

 

But Red wasn't coming to him. He was either completely oblivious of his show or just simply not interested. In Lance's mind, there is no way that this guy would want to see him. Which, again, Lance couldn't blame him. He'd spilt paint all over him and those damned banners. He would avoid him too. But that didn't make it any easier to swallow that truth. 

 

So there he sat at two in the afternoon, in a booth of the Altea Bean Cafe, two friends flanking his side with pitying looks on their faces.

 

"Lance, buddy! I think it is sweet, honestly! I wouldn't freak out about it too much!" Hunk exclaimed, a comforting smile on his face as he roughly slapped Lance on the back.

 

"I think it's so dumb... romantic! But dumb! What if you like... actually fuck up this dudes life? Nobody seems to know him and maybe that's on purpose." Katie questioned, her voice showing genuine concern for someone other than the usual group. "And like... what if he is straight or in the closet and you just end up bringing a lot of negative attention to him?"

 

At that statement, Hunk nodded in agreement, only making Lance feel more excited to speak on the topic.

 

"And... yeah, I get that, Kate, but... I have never cared so little about overstepping before? And honestly...it is so nice." He spoke out, a hand rubbing his neck just a little roughly. "There's just something about it... something is telling me that  _this_ is what I have to do..."

 

"Lance, please, no more fate talk... it is too early."

 

"It is literally two in the afternoon, Katie."

 

"Shut up, I was up until 6."

 

"Ok, me too...? But. I am not acting like it is the morning."

 

"I went to bed at eleven..." Hunk added quietly, a satisfied grin on his face at being the only friend who got proper sleep.

 

"Aren't you lucky."

 

"I mean... yes."

 

"Anyways! I just... seriously, you guys. This isn't like any of the other times... there is something about him..."

 

"Listen, man... I am gonna support you no matter what. I really mean it. We just want this to have a clean, happy end."

 

"Hunk. Bestie. My bro... the only way for this to have a positive end is for him to contact me and we fall in love."

 

"You're like... really, really invested in this idea of finding him and having a serious romance, aren't you?"

 

"Hell yes." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry!! I know this chapter is pretty simple, but!! It's because we will be getting into the actual plot very, very soon!!


End file.
